Book Review of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier (Part 7--or, "The Dispatches, Continued")

Emergents embrace paradox, especially those that are core components of the Christian story.

This is where Tony gets into VERY dangerous waters. It's okay to walk around with shoelaces untied on the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union (Jesus being fully God and fully man at the same time)...but there are still legitimate reasons to believe by faith derived by Scripture in those very things.

My fear is that when you say "embracing paradox" you mean to say you don't have a conviction, Tony, on those things. And, if you don't have a conviction, you don't believe. If you don't believe...well...you can see why many "e"mergents split from "E"mergent Village here, don't you? Most "e"mergents I know have no problem with saying that they believe in the Trinity (or, my new term, "Tri-unity") or Christology that has Jesus as fully God and fully man at the same time.

Emergents hold to a hope-filled eschatology: it was good news when Jesus came the first time, and it will be good news when he returns.

Again, I don't have any framework for what you're kicking against. I don't know who disagrees with this.

Emergents believe the church should function more like and open-source network and less like a hierarchy or a bureaucracy.

This is trouble, too. Because Scripture is clear in that local bodies should be governed. Christ is the "head" of each local body, and Scripture provides encouragement for deacons (deaconesses, too?), and elders. The good thing is that you used the terms "less" and "more."

And if you mean that every member of the body is a minister and should be using their gifts and talents to help the body mature, well, I'd suggest lots of churches are doing that. But I understand where this comes from, because I've seen churches where the senior pastor rules the roost.

Emergents start new churches to save their own faith, not necessarily as an outreach strategy.

This is where you lost me. When you said that "E"mergents have "gone feral," and "never to be domesticated" again...well, Tony, you sound like the little kid on the playground who doesn't like that the game isn't going according to his rules so he takes his ball and goes home. The problem with that is you ruin the game for everybody else. You have a dichotomy that the current church is a lost cause, beyond hope...

...so you take your ball and go home. To "save your faith." Really? Please. I'd respect you more if you used it as an outreach strategy--and that's saying something. Alienating those that have wisdom & experience is not really a good way to be the Body of Christ.

Emergents firmly hold that God's Spirit--not their own efforts--is responsible for good in the world. The human task is to cooperate with God in what God is already doing.

This is okay. Sure, the Holy Spirit is at work. Find out where and what and dig in! However, what if He's at work in the local suburban megachurch? Hmmm. How can you go feral?

Emergents downplay--or outright reject--the difference between clergy and laity.

Scripture defines roles for elders & deacons. it mentions that some are more mature and less mature. So, you can't outright reject "clergy and laity." The Bible makes distinctions. Now, if you want to downplay that and say that ministry should be by the body and these elders & deacons are "equippers," then I'm okay with that.

Emergents believe that church should be just as beautiful and messy as life.

The trend in Christian publishing these days is that the focus is on how "messy" life is and how life doesn't "resolve" like jazz doesn't resolve and how we need "mercies" as we travel. Don't get me wrong. I love those books. I bought those books. I recommend those books. And the strength of those books is that they are allowing the church to come back to the idea that you don't have to have everything all together and live life with a plastic smile in order to be a part of the deal. This is a good thing.

My hope is that those authors' next book involves the beauty of the transformed life. It isn't supposed to stay messy. And those stories of transformation are beautiful and encouraging and need to be told. But a bunch of feral folks sitting around in basements talking about how messy their lives are with no leadership to encourage them to grow doesn't do much for me.

So, in conclusion:

I'd recommend this book for those that want to know more about both the "E"mergents and the "e"merging church. So many folks don't have a clue as to what's happening among the younger members of their congregations, and Tony's right: It's significant and important. I'm grateful he's in our Tribe.

My personal observations is that he has a low view of ecclesiology. Or, the Church. And the local church. His view that the church is a hierarchy that squelches the spiritual life in America today isn't one that I share. I have hope for the church, and a high regard for Christ's headship in the various "flavors." There's more unity in the diversity than he sees.

He tends to have a low bibliology in that I feel the author values the conversation and dialogue and inclusion as of more importance than Scripture...or at least equal importance. I can't agree with that. Granted, it isn't easy when Scripture says one thing about homosexuality or gossip...but at some point you have to take stands and do so in the most loving way. Sure, we've made mistakes as a church in how those issues have been dealt with, but you still have to let Scripture speak. Sometimes the most loving thing is to let it speak to the issues of our culture and not try to make it more palatable.

Finally, if Tony is speaking for "E"mergents, then, well, my hope is that he's careful when he says things like "going feral" and calling conventional forms of church "dead." His words mean things. And, if he's serious in saying that his "orthodoxy" should match his "orthopraxy," (practice), well, he certainly isn't loving, merciful or gracious towards those of us who believe we're doing what God would have us do in more conventional settings.

And, I don't blame the "e"merging church one bit for distancing from you. The "e"merging church as I see it has a greater respect for the church and the Church, Scripture, and a better philosophical outworking of those beliefs.

But, I'd still recommend the book.

It's great dialogue...and I'd still enjoy that cup of coffee and chat, Tony...if you're interested.